European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood
Policy

“Political perspectives – the Compact
for
Afghanistan”

Conference on AfghanistanLondon, 31 January
2006

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

The launch today of the Afghanistan Compact is an historic occasion –
and a very hopeful one. It signifies that the world remains strongly committed
to Afghanistan’s future.

Over the past four years the EU has helped lay the foundations for peace,
democracy and economic recovery in Afghanistan. By the end of this year, the
European Commission will have allocated over €1.2 billion to Afghanistan
for a combination of visible reconstruction; tangible benefits for the
population in terms of social services; institutional development and
humanitarian aid. We also contributed to organising elections and sent electoral
observers for the Parliamentary elections. For 2006, the European Commission
will deliver €193 million in development assistance, completing delivery
of our Tokyo pledge.

The Compact now provides tools and a blueprint for building greater security;
further progress on governance, human rights and rule of law; and increased
prosperity and social development, while dealing with the scourge of
narcotics.

It is a partnership. It recognises that Afghanistan cannot make sustainable
progress alone: it needs the continued strong support of the international
community – politically, militarily and financially. But the government
and people of Afghanistan also have to take greater ownership and responsibility
for dealing with many of the challenges still facing their country.

The challenge over the next five years will be ensuring both sides fulfil
their commitments. The detailed benchmarks and timelines will help. The
Co-ordination and Monitoring Board will play a crucial role in overseeing the
Compact’s implementation. The European Union will actively support its
work.

The EU-Afghanistan Joint Declaration adopted last November demonstrated the
strength of our commitment to the reconstruction and development effort in the
years to come. The European Commission will continue to work closely with other
EU Member States to ensure the overall EU effort is well co-ordinated and
efficient. Our intention is to focus our future assistance on rural development
and counter-narcotics; the health sector; and institution-building, including
measures to strengthen both the rule of law and financial sustainability, which
are key for Afghanistan’s future. We will also invest in the people by
supporting vocational training.

We look forward to working with the government and people of Afghanistan to
make the Compact’s vision a reality.